


This Isn't the Musketeers!

by GemNika



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, CoLu Week 2018, Enemies to Friends, F/M, Gun Violence, Humor, Military Jargon, We just killed everyone now let's go get Denny's
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-18 20:48:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14860035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GemNika/pseuds/GemNika
Summary: They were on opposing sides in this fight, but neither wanted to be there. To end things once and for all, Lucy and Cobra team up to take down the tyrannical forces who pitted them against each other.CoLu Week 2018, Day 1: Defect





	This Isn't the Musketeers!

Lucy definitely didn't want to be here. She didn't want to crawl across dew-softened leaves in the woods, and she didn't want dirt slithering it's way down her pants and into her black boots. She could already feel not-quite-mud clumping in her bright pink panties. But she really hadn't had a choice in the matter. It was either pull her weight and come out on top, or return home with her friends' deaths hanging over her head. She couldn't let that happen. It didn't matter if she was covered head to toe in mud. As long as they were victorious, then all of this discomfort would be worth it. More than worth it.

The quick report of gunfire through the trees had her instantly pressing her face to the ground and keeping her rifle just inches above the dirt. Erza was supposed to be with her. They were  _supposed_  to be partners, but they'd gotten separated when enemies had ambushed them from the rear. In the fray, Lucy had gotten her hand-signals mixed up, and what she'd thought was  _Turn left and loop around_  had apparently been something closer to  _Turn right and run the fuck away!_  It was too bad, really. Because Lucy wasn't a fighter like Erza was. She wasn't as confident in her abilities with her rifle. What she lacked in Erza's accuracy and just downright overgrown balls, she made up for with her ability to hide like there was no tomorrow. If she focused enough, then she could get a shot in here or there. No one would be any the wiser until it was too late, and there was a large splotch of red decorating their chests. But she always had Erza covering her six.

But now Lucy was all on her own, trying to figure out how the hell she could get back to safety. How she could find just one friendly. Because if she could find Gray or Laxus or  _anyone_  else who wouldn't shoot at her on sight, then things would be just peachy. They could protect her until this was all over, and then she could go home and try to forget all about this.

The gunfire that had been far off was much closer now, and Lucy found herself cringing while she slowly crawled to the base of a large oak. Maybe she could get up into the branches and wait for the enemy to pass her by. In her experience, they didn't think to check above them. It was poor planning on their part, especially since everyone knew she was a climber.

"Fan out!" came a gruff voice off to her right. "Scarlet's in here somewhere."

Bullshit was Erza anywhere near this place. Clearly this team had no idea that Lucy was the one who'd come this way. But she didn't have time to dwell on that. They were coming closer, and she was entirely visible lying on the ground like this. If the grass had been just a little higher, she might've been able to blend in a bit more. But this tree…

She glanced up and quickly measured the distance between the ground and the lowest branch that would hold her weight. Three meters. She could manage that with some inventive shimmying. Lucy glanced around one last time, listened as the quick  _tap-tap-tap_  of gunfire echoed through the woods. It was followed rather quickly by a low thud and a quick curse from what she hoped was an enemy. Based on the unfamiliar cheering, someone on her side had been taken out for good.

That was her cue to move. She scrambled to her feet and slung her rifle over her shoulder, then wrapped her arms around the trunk that was three times her size. And she climbed. She probably looked like a total idiot, hugging her way up the tree, searching for even a little bit of traction with her boots. But that wasn't important. All she cared about was not getting shot in the back.

"I think I heard something over here!"

"Then shut the fuck up and stop giving away our position, idiot!"

"Shit," Lucy groaned while finally pulling herself up onto the branch she'd had her eye on. But it was still too low. She needed more cover, and the only way to get that was to go higher. She took a deep breath and hauled herself up onto the next branch, then pressed her back flush against the trunk just as three men came into her line of sight. If she'd moved faster, she might've been able to shoot them. Except her rifle was still on her back. It would make too much noise to pull it around now that they were circling around the base of her tree. She didn't recognize them though, and that let her know that they were, in fact, not on her side.

Luckily for her, they moved on quickly. They didn't even think to check the tree.

It really was a shame she hadn't been better prepared. What Lucy wouldn't have given for word to get back that she'd gotten three of the enemy's forces from her vantage point.

Once they were far enough away, she let out a slow, steadying breath and crouched down on the branch. It was going to take some serious stealth and maneuvering to get back to the base. She had to figure out just how far she was from it in the first place, and in these woods it would be doubly difficult. There were no landmarks for her to reference this time around. Last time she'd been dragged into this bullshit with Erza, it had been in a mostly deserted city. Hiding had been more difficult, but the buildings had given her a good baseline to work from when she'd needed to get back to their hideout to re-up her ammunition.

"Bunch of fucking morons, I swear." Lucy nearly jumped out of her skin at the low, gritty voice coming from just above her. She whipped her rifle around and aimed, peering through the leaves to see a pair of indigo eyes staring down at her. "Put that shit away," he said. "If I wanted to shoot you, I'd have done it while you were giving yourself a fucking mud facial."

Her eyes narrowed, and she readied her fingers over the trigger. "Who are you?"

He chuckled, and she didn't take her sights off of him while he slowly moved down to a branch sitting a foot higher than hers. She vaguely recognized him, but it was a little difficult with all of his hair covered by a black bandana and the black and forest green paint covering his face. "Cobra," he said. "I'm one of Jellal's lackies."

She lowered the barrel a centimeter. His rifle wasn't even out. It was slung across his back, unusable from how he was crouching on the branch. She wasn't going to trust him right away, but he wasn't threatening her right then, either. "Lucy," she said. He could still have a pistol hiding somewhere. There was no telling how much of a snake this Cobra guy was.

"Ah, so you're the one who was with that fucking demon," he chuckled.

"You mean Erza?"

"I mean the psycho who shot four guys before they could even figure out where shit was coming from, then barreled through the clearing like some fucking valkyrie on a warpath" he said. "She's a monster."

"Well, some people enjoy this sort of thing," Lucy sighed. She definitely wasn't one of them. She hated this.

"Right there with ya." That drew her attention back to him in an instant. He seemed like he was all for this slaughtering nonsense. He definitely looked the part. A total Rambo with his face painted and weathered fatigues with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. But maybe he'd been dragged into this, much like she had been. Maybe he would much rather be sitting at home with a blanket and a cup of warm tea and a good book.

Or maybe that was just Lucy.

Her rifle lowered another centimeter. "Is that why you're up in this tree?"

Cobra nodded and peered through the leaves to check their surroundings. "I'd much rather sit my ass up here and wait for the smoke to clear." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and a devilish smirk curled his thin lips. "Then I can just pick off the stragglers and be done with this bullshit."

That did sound like a good plan, but also a boring one. Especially if he was going to be by himself. But if he wasn't planning on shooting her, and if he didn't mind...

Lucy squared her shoulders and finally lowered her rifle completely. His brow quirked with amusement, but she ignored it in favor of firming her resolve. "Care for a little company?" she asked.

Erza would skin her alive for this later, but anything was fair game when it came to war. And if this would keep her from being shot, then Lucy was willing to betray her friends. Just that thought alone had her gut souring, but then he smiled at her. Slowly, with more grace than she would have thought possible for a man as tall as him, Cobra crept onto her branch and crouched in front of her. He held out his hand and she cautiously set her own in it.

"You and me against all those assholes," Cobra said. The sudden depth of his voice had her shivering. "We stick together, and we'll get out of this shit alive. Let's make them pay."

"Deal," she said.

* * *

They crept through the underbrush and down a small bank into a creek that cut across the southernmost tip of the woods. Lucy had told Cobra that her base was in the north, so they were going to hit his base first. Taking out the supplies would seriously hinder their effectiveness in the coming hours. They had to get rid of the guards posted on either side first. Cobra was an excellent shot, and Racer and Angel were down before they knew what hit them. He stayed in the shadows while Lucy rushed in to trash the base, so no one would be any the wiser of their new partnership. As soon as it was done, she ran back to the trees and met up with him, then they travelled north to her own base.

It was while they were rounding a blind bend that shit went south. And fast.

Cobra had taken the lead position, and Lucy was watching their six, but she heard the breaking twig a second before he did. She reached forward and grabbed his collar, dragging him to the ground while bringing her rifle up to aim at whoever was coming.

She shot before she realized just who it was. When she saw the bright splash of red covering Natsu's chest as he fell to the ground, Lucy nearly ran to help him. But she wasn't on his side anymore. Just as Cobra wasn't on Racer and Angel's. This silly war between Jellal and Erza was no longer her concern. She was out for herself. And if they could end this early, then she was all for it.

"L-Luce?" Natsu coughed, his brows furrowed as he gazed up at her. His deep green eyes widened when Cobra stepped up behind her. "Luce, look out!"

She sighed when Cobra simply chuckled and draped his arm over her shoulders. "Sorry, Natsu," she whispered. She raised her rifle and aimed at the space between his eyes, then pulled the trigger. "It's not personal."

Cobra shook his head, watching as crimson droplets trickled down from Natsu's forehead. "Nice shot," he said.

Lucy shrugged him off and trudged along the path. "Don't make me save your ass again," she grumbled.

"Aw, don't be like that," he laughed while jogging to catch up with her. "It really was a solid double-tap."

"Are you seriously referencing Zombieland right now?" Cobra shrugged. She rolled her eyes at his cheeky grin, but she smiled all the same.

* * *

After destroying Lucy's old base of operations, she wasn't sure what they were really supposed to do. Both sides would probably meet somewhere in the middle to end this once and for all. It was while they were on their way to that final clearing, just before sundown, that everything went to hell. They hadn't heard him coming. If Cobra had heard it, he would have saved her. One minute, they were crouched behind a tree, and the next she was falling to the ground at Cobra's feet, holding her chest and gasping for air. When Lucy brought her hand away, he saw it. That damning red stain on her fingertips.

Cobra dropped to his knees and pulled her into his arms. He brushed her muddy blonde hair from her eyes while she struggled to pull in another breath. "Lucy, are you alright?"

"C-Cobra, I…" Her gaze shifted to the side, where the shot that had caught her off-guard had come from, and her eyes went wide at the sight of a hulking man, well over six feet tall, with long raven hair pulled up into a high ponytail and piercing crimson eyes. "There…"

"Stay with me," he said. "We'll get you some help, okay? Just don't give up on me."

"Too late… I'm…" She coughed and brought her red-stained hand to his cheek, smearing his facepaint and streaking it with the proof of her failure. "I'm sorry… I f-failed you."

"Lucy, no," he said, shaking her slightly when her eyes started to close. "No, come on!"

"Dude, what the fuck are you doing?"

"Lucy, stay awake!" Cobra shouted. She went limp in his arms. "Lucy!"

"Get a fuckin' grip, Cobra! She's not even on our-"

He gently laid her down on the ground, then turned a deadly glare to Gajeel over his shoulder. "You killed her."

"What the fuck're you-"

"You bastard!" Cobra bellowed. He lifted his rifle and fired off three shots in quick succession, each one hitting its mark on Gajeel's broad chest. "You're all going down! Every last one of you motherfuckers!"

Gajeel stumbled when another two shots hit him in the stomach, and he watched in horror as Cobra pulled Lucy's limp body onto his back then rushed off through the woods. As he laid on the ground, he barely caught sight of his teammate mowing down people left and right, friendlies and foes alike. All while keeping that tiny little blonde woman on his back.

"Fuckin' asshole," Gajeel groaned, turning his gaze skyward. He was just going to lie there for a minute to catch his breath. He kind of needed it after taking five shots to the chest and gut.

* * *

Erza draped Jellal's arm over her shoulders, and they slowly limped through the clearing strewn with bodies toward the lone man standing in the center of the carnage. Cobra. He'd betrayed Jellal and shot him in the back, seconds after shooting Erza in the stomach. He'd taken every single person down, with Lucy draped over his back the entire time. No one understood just what he was doing. Why he was attacking everyone and screaming bloody murder. Why he kept yelling about vengeance for an  _innocent life_. When it was all said and done, he was the only one left standing, and Erza was more than ready to find out just what had pushed him over the deep end.

As far as she knew, he didn't even know Lucy. This was the first time he'd been in town for one of these events. "Cobra, you have a lot of explaining to do."

"I don't have to explain shit!" he yelled. "Gajeel killed her!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jellal groaned. "She's on Erza's side. If he shot Lucy, then-"

"He  _killed_  her!" Cobra yelled.

Gajeel rolled his eyes while walking into the clearing, nearly dragging Natsu along with him. "I shot her because she wasn't on our team, ass."

Natsu lifted his head and swiped the red paint from the forming welt on his forehead. "Luce, why did you shoot me in the head? I thought we agreed no head shots."

Lucy giggled and tapped Cobra on the shoulder so he could finally let her down, then looked over at her best friend since preschool once her boots hit the ground. "I told you it wasn't personal, Natsu."

"Clearly, you've taken this paintball game too seriously," Erza said to Cobra, frowning all the while. "It's clear that you're to blame for Lucy's hand in this."

"Why the hell would you think that?" Cobra laughed. "She's the one who asked if we could team up."

"Lies!" Erza yelled.

Lucy laughed and shook her head, resting a hand on Cobra's forearm before he could lift his paintball rifle and shoot Erza in the face. "We didn't want to play to begin with, Erza," she said. "That's why we teamed up. So this could just be done."

"But Luce, I thought you loved paintball!"

She sent Natsu an unimpressed stare. "I love it about as much as you love sitting in a library. After the food you snuck in has been confiscated." The way his eyes widened in horror let her know that it was the perfect example for him to understand. She couldn't remember how many times they'd been kicked out of the library for him being too loud. But studying had never been Natsu's forte.

"And you, Cobra?" Jellal asked. "You didn't want to do this either?"

"Hell no," he said. "But considering everyone I know is doing this, and I'm only in town for another week, I figured I might as well suck it up and join in."

Lucy hadn't known that Cobra lived out of town. Somehow that hadn't really come up while they were making their way through the woods, picking off their friends. They'd joked around a fair bit, but a lot of the time had been spent in silence. For stealth purposes. She wasn't sure what to make of Cobra not being around for much longer, though. He was funny, and she kind of wanted to get to know him. Especially since it seemed like a good number of her friends were already friends with him.

"Now, I don't know about you guys, but I've got dirt in places that don't deserve this level of exfoliation," Cobra said. He lifted his hand and sent them a quick wave, then turned toward Lucy. After a moment of watching her, watching him, he smirked. "Care to accompany me back to my car?"

"We're dirty," she laughed.

He just shrugged. "Not important. I've got some towels we can put down. I don't know about you, but I could go for some fucking Denny's."

"Denny's does sound good," she said softly.

Cobra glanced back at their friends who were milling around the clearing, swiping paint off of themselves and chatting now that they were no longer enemies. "Jellal, ride with your girlfriend down to Denny's."

That was a little disappointing to hear, on Lucy's part. She'd kind of wanted to just be with him and get to know one another. But then she heard Gajeel laughing along with Angel. "Gihi, you and that fuckin' restaurant, man. Every time you go out to eat, it's that fuckin' place!"

"Because the Grand Slam is fucking delicious!" Cobra shot back. Lucy was more than surprised to see the man who'd been so composed while they were together - his melodramatic acting over her death that they'd agreed would be hilarious, notwithstanding - suddenly rushing at Gajeel and tackling him to the ground.

And just as she knew would happen, Natsu quickly joined in the fray. He was always looking for a good bout of roughhousing. Because Natsu jumped in, Gray did as well. Soon, nearly everyone from both teams were rolling around on the ground, fighting one another with wide smiles on their faces. The group of twenty-somethings were like a bunch of children. Or puppies. She hadn't expected to see Erza and Jellal get in on it though. That was definitely different. But as soon as Lucy realized that she was the only person not in the midst of that messy battle royale - when had Laxus jumped into it? He never got in on silly things like this - she started to feel just a little bit lonely.

And out of place.

But then an arm wrapped around her waist and a hand pressed over her mouth, and she was being dragged away from everything. With not one person even noticing that she was gone. She considered struggling, but the voice in her ear had her actually helping to get moving. "Let's get outta here. We'll have a few minutes to ourselves before these guys realize we left."

Lucy nodded and he let her go. As they walked back toward wherever he'd parked his car, she watched out of the corner of her eye as he removed his bandana and wiped all the facepaint off. He noticed her wide-eyed staring almost instantly. And that she was blushing just a little bit. Because unlike her red-haired friend, Lucy preferred men with a tan. A dark tan. Much like Cobra's complexion. How she hadn't considered the fact that she'd seen his forearms, and that they were, in fact, the same shade of creamy coffee as his handsome face… she couldn't be sure.

And then there was his hair. A rich maroon that spiked up in every direction from being stuck beneath the bandana. Honestly, the style worked for him.

"Can I help you?" Cobra asked.

"Possibly," Lucy said, turning her attention back to the path in front of them.

"Cryptic," he chuckled.

She simply smiled in response and changed the subject as they continued walking. Because while she thought he was attractive, and knew that he was funny, she really didn't know much else about him. The only reason she'd agreed to ride with him in the first place was because he was a friend of Jellal's. And she'd known Jellal for nearly ten years by that point. She knew for a fact that he didn't associate with people who were shady or untrustworthy. And if he or Erza, or even Gajeel and Natsu, had been uncomfortable with the idea of Lucy hitching a ride with Cobra, then they would have said as much. And loudly.

She did want to get to know Cobra better though. She was definitely curious to find out whether there was anything more to this attraction she felt for him, past his looks and sense of humor. She wasn't into one-night stands, so no matter what happened, it would take some time to build up anything with him.

"Mud looks good on you, by the way," Cobra said.

Lucy laughed and punched his side. "You should see my un-mud-tionables."

The fact that he laughed so hard that he snorted like a pig for three solid minutes was a definite tick in his favor. That was actually pretty cute.

_**.The End.** _


End file.
